Bowling alley



W. L. FOEHL ET AL BOWLING ALLEY Filed March 14, 1931 Ill] HJ mfiiif fiizz (E Gsarge (1R0; f I I Dec. 8, 1931.

Patented Dec. 8, 1931 A unites TA P NTO F CE WILLARD L. FOEHL, F AnnUsoN, NEW JERSEY, AND GEORGE A. noniNson, JR, or

BYW oon, PENNSYLVANIA 1 BOWLING ALLEY Application filed March 14, 1931. Serial No. 522,690.

' Ourinvention relates to a new and amusing bowling game and has for one of itsobjects to provide an unique game apparatus which may be used indoors or outdoors and embodies some of the features of the usual bowling or ten-pins game on a miniature scale.-

Another object of ourinvention is to so construct a bowling alley that it will not require the linear space of the usual or well'known type of straight bowling alley.

A further object of the invention is to so fashion the game apparatus or alley that when a ball is rolled the same will return to the location of the player thereby dispensing A still further object of our invention is the provision of a bowl shaped runway having a segment removed to form a recess to be occupied by the player and to provide a starting place or an entrance and an end for the runway where a rack for the balls is formed, and also to provide a holder for the dead wood or pins which have been knocked down as well as certain formations which act as gutters. I

With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that these. skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, we will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application in which Fig. 1 is a perspective of the game apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a section thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. V

In carrying out our invention as herein embodied 5 represents a bowl shaped runway having a section or segment left out to form a recess 6 to be occupied by the player and to provide an entrance and a terminus for the runway.

While the major portion or length of the runway is curved or convex itmerges into lar side wall 8 in a flat horizontal pin field 7 and a perpendicuproximity to the terminus of said runway.-

I Across the terminal endor edge of the runway is positioned a back-stop 9 to prevent the balls rolling off the runway and just forward of said back-stop isja depression 10 which acts as apit for the ball 11 when they complete the circuit of the runway. r e r A gutter 12 is provided along the line of juncture between the runway 5 and the lower end of the perpendicularwall 8, and the upper edge of this gutter is in the Y same plane as the contiguous top surface of the runway.

Gne end, the samebein'g the outer end, of

the gutter communicates with the pit 10, so that a ball which rolls oif the side of the runway into the gutter 12 will finally roll into the pit for future use by the same or another player. I

' At the bottom of the bowl shaped runway in the axis thereof is a depression, well or holder 13 into which the pins 14 may be placed as t-hey are knocked down and saidwell is surrounded by a circular gutter 15 so that any i balls rolling off the inner edge of the runway will enter said gutter and may be removed therefrom for future use by a player.

lhe sides of the bowl shaped runway are enclosed by a suitable casing 16 and if found desirable said runwaymay be supported on a bottom or platform 17 and the whole device supported by feet 18 in orderthat the entrance to the runway shall be at a proper elevation for a player standing intherecess to let the ball glideon to the runway as said ball leaves the players hand atthe forward end of the swing of the players arm.

As the casing 16 may be and preferably is of a different shapethan the exterior contour of the runway the upperv edges of the runway, including the wall 8, and the upper edges of the casing are likely to be spaced apart as shown in Fig. 2, and therefore a rail 19 of suitable dimensions is disposed and 2 f j i.

curved or bowl-shaped runway attempting to start the ball with suflicient speed and at the proper location in the entrance to cause the same to roll around the runway and strike the pins 14 to knock down the greatest possible numb-er of said pins and as the pins are knocked downlthe ball will pass on to the rack 10 or possibly be deflected into one of the gutters 12 or 15 and any ball entering the gutter 12 will roll along the same and enter the pit 10. If all of the pins are knocked down they can then be reset but if a number less than all of the pins is knocked down, such pin or pins knocked down are removed from the runway and placed in the holder or well 13 until onefrarne hasbeen played. The scoring and rules of play are the same as in any ordinary bowling or ten pins game.

, Any number of players can play the game and where more than one does play they take their turns at rolling the balls the same as in any other game and since theapparatus may be made in many sizes, it can be con structed for use with very small balls and placed upon a table in a house or it may be of such size as to be used on the floor of a building or of such size as to be used in a very ter, a casing disposed about the sides of the bowl shaped runway, a rail superimposed upon the upper edges of the bowl shaped runway and casing, andfeet to support the device.

In testimony, whereof, we have hereunto affixed our signatures.

WILLARD L. FOEHL. V GEORGE A. ROBINSON, JR.

Having thus fully described our invention, I I. I

What we claim as new and'useful is I l. A bowling alley consisting of a bowl shaped runway having a recess at one place to constitute an entrance and a terminalfor the alley,.a portion. of the side wall of said runway adjacent the terminal end being vertical and a 'portionof the bottom adjacent the terminal being fiat and horizontal to provide a field for the pins and a back-stop disposed across the terminal end. 7

2. A structure set forth in claiml', in combination with a ball pit formed by a recess running-lengthwise of the back-stop and coextensive therewith.

31A miniature bowling game apparatus consisting of an arcuate runway and having its entrance and terminal end contiguous each other, said. runway being radially curved I upwardly throughout the major portion thereof and merging into a flathorizontal 

